What is the goal of the project?

Gaming carries unexplored potentials for city-making. When inserted carefully into urban processes, games significantly improve the practice of conventional urban design by, for example, supporting collaborative decision-making and design, extracting and visualising comprehensible meaning from big data, and contributing to conflict resolution. However, the field of City-Gaming is relatively new and there is an urgent need for building an integrated community, developing a common language, and supporting newcomers. These are the driving motivations behind the launch of GAMES FOR CITIES: a public research- and event-programme that explores the role of gaming for complex urban issues.

What is the result of the project?

GAMES FOR CITIES will deliver three concrete outcomes throughout its year-long program: 1. A guidebook for policy makers and regulators to employ city gaming in their daily work. 2. Activation and growth of the City Gaming community through public events and an online network. 3. A comprehensive City Gaming database on the Games for Cities website.

Who initiated the project and which organizations are involved?

Games for Cities in an initiative of Play the City (Amsterdam) and generously funded by the Creative Industries Fund NL. Organising partners are: The Mobile City, the New Media Studies Department at Utrecht University, the Play and Civic Media Lectorate at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, and The Why Factory (TU Delft).

What is the next step?

The first events have been confirmed and will take place in September-October, 2016. Other events will follow in the rest of 2016 and early 2017. More information at www.gamesforcities.com